The night before: 8:00 pm transfer to the Hanoi train station for boarding at 9:10 pm. You will share an AC soft sleeper cabin and travel North to Lao Cai town.

Today’s morning: The train arrives at about 6:00 am. Meet your guide when you exit the train station, and take a morning drive through the clouds by car / van to Sapa, about 1.5 hours. When you arrive in Sapa you will be taken to a local restaurant for a morning basic shower, breakfast, a short rest and some last preparations before our inspiring trek.

We will then take short ride from Sapa to our trekking base. Our trek through the terraced valleys, up and down hills will take about 5 to 6 hours. We will pass rice paddies, bamboo forests, and minority villages. Lunch break along the way depending on our pace. When we arrive in Taphin village, our Dao host family will welcome us to their home where we will share in an ethnic style dinner and stay the night.

Overnight Homestay.

At the first gleam of daylight, you will see and hear the sounds of morning village life. You can join your host family in some of their morning activities like feeding the animals, cleaning the houses, gardening or preparing breakfast. After breakfast, we can take a short wander around the village or spend more time enjoying the view and company at the homestay.

You will be then supported by our car / van back to Sapa (30 minutes). When we arrive back in Sapa, take a shower and pause for lunch on your own. At 2:30 pm we will take an easy 5 km walk to Cat Cat village, home of Black H’mong hill tribe, and to take part in a traditional ethnic music performance put on by the ethnic minority people. We will then be picked up at Sapa town for our ride to Lao Cai. Dinner on your own well before the train leaves for Hanoi.

Arrive in Hanoi at about 5:00am.

Note: The music show in Cat Cat village is closed on Tuesday afternoon, an alternative will be arranged.

Overnight Train.

Arrival in Hanoi in the early morning at around 5:00 am. Walk to a mini hotel near the Tran Quy Cap train station gate to have shower and a basic set menu breakfast.

Departure for Halong Bay is around 8:00 am on a shared van from your hotel. The drive takes 4 hours driving passing through the Vietnam countryside and rice paddy-life. Arriving at the port around noon, the junk's crew welcome guests on board. Check-in, enjoy a welcome drink & attend the cruise briefing. Fresh, local seafood lunch while cruising on to Bai Tu Long Bay. Stop for swimming, visit mysterious Thien Canh cave, Relax at a secluded beach, and kayak to explore the bay up close. Back on the junk to enjoy a relaxing sunset.

Dinner and overnight on board.

Early risers can enjoy the sunrise and the quiet breath-taking beauty of karst landscape.  From 7:30 to 8:00 am have breakfast in the fresh air, then visit Vong Vieng fishing village by a rustic row-boat. Meet the locals, visit a floating school & fish farms. Later take one more swim in the middle of the bay. There is ample time for the  11:45 am check-out from the cabin while cruising back. Lunch on the boat as we slowly cruise back to port. 

We will be ashore then hit the road back for water puppet show at a traditional Vietnamese village before getting back to Hanoi at around 6:00 pm.